Hi guys Azza here!
Almost at the big one million mark guys. Can you actually believe it!? Probably in the next two to three chapters we'll hit it I reckon.
That's basically it from me. Thanks for the reviews by the way guys, always love reading how excited you guys are for new content!
Anyway, on with the story!
I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.
Incident At The Ryugu Palace
/Fishman Island Entertainment District – Evening/
"Hey Shyarly?"
"Hmm?"
"Didn't that Minister say that the Prince was meant to be here within the hour," Natsu asked as he gently ran his fingers over the scaly tail of one of the Mermaids currently draped over him.
"He did, yes."
"Do the Royal Family of the Ryugu Kingdom operate on some sort of different time than everyone else? Because I swear it's been like three hours since that call, right?"
"What? Had enough of the hospitality my girls and I are providing you," Shyarly smirked as she took a drag from her pipe. "Perhaps it is to be expected from an almighty one such as yourself …"
"I assure you that if Time were on my side, we'd be doing a hell of a lot more than talking."
"Oh my Madame!"
"Can't we call the palace and tell them he's not able to come until morning!?"
"Or tomorrow night, perhaps?"
The Mermaids all giggled with Shyarly and Natsu joining them moments after. Unfortunately, a loud bang followed by hurried footsteps cut their enjoyment off as the doors were opened rather forcefully.
"What is the meaning of this," Shyarly hissed, several rows of razor-sharp teeth on display as she found herself annoyed by yet another person barging into her private space.
"Apologies Madame," a Seahorse Fishman panted, clad in what was clearly Guard Armor.
"Neptune Royal Guard I presume," Natsu asked, the same gently smile not even budging as the Guard nodded breathlessly.
"Y-Yes …"
"Here. Drink."
The guard was surprised when a glass of water popped into his field of vision. He blinked, not having seen anyone so much as budge. Yet, looking at Natsu, he could tell he had made it appear before him.
Nodding, he grabbed the glass and drank it greedily before sighing. Walking over toward the group, he placed the glass down on the table before turning to face the group. Adjusting his posture, he stood tall as his curly tail stretched out behind him before curling back up once again.
"Apologies for barging in Madame, but there has been a situation requiring the Crown Prince to return to the Ryugu Palace."
"Oh my … I hope Prince Fukaboshi is alright?"
"It isn't the Crown Prince Ma'am. Though, I daresay the Prince wishes it was the case…"
"A rather strange thing to say," Natsu hummed thoughtfully, still smiling gently. "I take it there's something happening at the Ryugu Palace that required his attention?"
"Uhh. Y-Yes," the Guard stuttered awkwardly. "You must be the one Prince Fukaboshi was sent to retrieve? Natsu Dragneel?"
"That I am. I'm sure these lovely ladies can attest to that," came the amused response as the Mermaids all giggled.
"I was sent by Prince Fukaboshi to ask you to come to the Ryugu Palace immediately," the Guard continued.
"Fair enough. I assume you have some sort of transport?"
"Yes Sir. I have a Manta Ray waiting for us just outside."
"Very good," Natsu replied gently as he clapped his hands and slowly rose to his feet. "I'll be able to take in the sights of the Ryugu Kingdom as we go."
"The Kingdom does look lovely at midnight," Shyarly agreed. "Especially the Ryugu Palace."
"Yes well … I'm afraid there won't be time for us to take a more scenic route," the Guard replied awkwardly. "I'm afraid that the incident Crown Prince Fukaboshi was recalled to the palace for is volatile. Therefore, we must make haste in our return!"
"A volatile situation," Natsu asked curiously.
"Ahh … I-I'm not really at liberty to discuss it out in public Sir. It involves a heavily guarded Neptune Family secret."
"Ah. Well, you all heard him," Natsu smiled as he walked toward the exit. "Guess I need to get over there as quick as the Manta Ray can take me!"
"Wait Natsu! Before you go, I'll ask that you return here once your business with King Neptune is concluded," Shyarly asked. "It is in regards to what we discussed earlier…"
"Ah, yeah. I'll come straight back Shyarly, don't worry."
"Regardless of the time, my place is fully open to you," Shyarly replied as she gestured around the room. "If I am asleep, feel free to speak to any of my staff and they shall rouse me."
"And mar that beauty of yours Shyarly by robbing you of rest? I think not!"
The Mermaids all cooed as Shyarly blushed ever so faintly, a tinge of pink on her cheeks as she shook her head.
"This is important. I don't care what the time is, we need to get on top of it if what you've told me is true."
"Very well," Natsu smirked as he placed a gently hand on the shoulder of the Guard, snapping him out of his confused stupor at what Shyarly and I were talking about. "Come on, let's head over to the palace."
"O-Of course Sir!"
"Right! See you lovely ladies later then," Natsu grinned as he spun on his heel and leisurely strolled out of the room.
The Guard scrambled to catch up as the pair left Shyarly's and made it out onto the brightly lit street.
"The Manta Ray is over here Sir," the Guard said as he gestured to a massive Manta Ray that was easily large enough to fit them both.
"So, I just hop on and its fine with it?"
"Yes Sir. The Manta Ray will not attack so long as a member of the Neptune Guard permits you to ride it," the Guard nodded as he hopped on.
Natsu hummed, still smiling softly as he hopped onto the Manta Ray. The Guard told it to return to the palace to which the Ray made a huffing sound and shot off at rather impressive speeds.
"How long will this Manta Ray take to get to the Ryugu Palace?"
"Around five minutes Sir."
"Really?"
"Yes. Can't you tell how fast we're moving Sir?"
"Well yeah. I just thought the palace was further away," Natsu replied as the rounded a massive coral spire, the fully lit Ryugu Palace coming into view.
It was a massive structure formed from various coral, stone, and most curiously, natural ore veins. Instead of mining the valuable minerals, they'd chosen to make them part of the palace itself.
It was like looking at an underwater rainbow, gemstones and raw ore such as Iron, Platinum and Gold expertly woven into the pattern of the structure. It was certainly a rather impressive feat of architectural design.
His examination of the castle however had his eyes lock onto something a little more concerning. To the guard, it looked like many small specks were moving past the various windows off in the distance and on the outer support bridges.
But to Natsu's superior eyes …
"I see now why Prince Fukaboshi had to return," Natsu sighed, still smiling as he shook his head. "It appears there is some kind of battle going on at the palace right now."
"WHAT-!?"
The Guard was about to ask Natsu what he was talking about when an explosion went off in one of the towers of the palace, sending debris and bodies flying. Looking around, Natsu noticed a giant bubble had been placed around the castle so that land dwellers could visit.
Vanishing from his place on the Manta Ray, he appeared and caught a sizeable chunk of debris with one hand. Said debris was close to puncturing the bubble as he lazily tossed it away from any area it could cause harm. Appearing back on the Manta Ray, the Guard could only gape as he stood tall, undeterred by the high speeds the Ray was moving.
"You don't think the King would mind if I helped out, do you?"
"I-I don't see him taking issue … Sir …"
"Good. I'll see you later I'm sure," Natsu smirked as he vanished, appearing at the front gates to the palace.
The gates had clearly been forced open, scorch marks across the front surface with a sizeable chunk missing where he assumed a lock would have been. Walking forward, he noticed several Fishmen looting the dead bodies of Neptune Royal Guards.
"Well now, what've we got here," one of the Fishmen smirked upon seeing Natsu's casual approach. "Look boys!"
"A filthy Human," a Pufferfish Fishman grinned as his head began to expand in size.
"Let's make his death nice and slow," a Flathead Fishman said darkly as they all began drawing their weapons.
"LET'S KILL HIM," another Fishman roared, attracting the attention of over forty more Fishmen that were loitering about the place.
"I'm seeing a lot of dead Royal Guards here you guys," Natsu sighed with a shake of his head. "Guess now I have to kill you all, don't I?"
In response, the Pufferfish Fishman, who's head was now five times larger than before, exhaled sharply. Upon doing so, hundreds of sizeable spikes burst from his mouth, shot directly at Natsu.
Natsu didn't move as the spines struck his position. However, what had all the Fishmen confused was that although he didn't move, he wasn't being hit by a single spike. Not only that, the spikes seemed to be vanishing.
"What the hell," one Fishman huffed as the Pufferfish Fishman finished his attack. "He's not got a scratch on him!?"
"That I do not," came the cheeky response as every last spike that had been fired at him slowly emerged from behind his back as Natsu extended his arms wide, clearly holding them. "Unfortunately for all of you …"
All around the entrance courtyard, the Fishmen began to scream as the needles from earlier flew about at speeds so fast they couldn't track them. Blood splatter quickly stained the entire area, the entire area now just slick with blood as large gashes were opened up on the sizeable group.
"MERCY!"
"PLEASE-!?"
"MONSTER-!"
Natsu however, didn't seem to be listening, the same gentle smile on his face as the large gashes quickly turned into entire chunks being torn out of the Fishmen. The speed at which the spikes moved seemed to increase even more as body parts began being severed, the screams only intensifying as they begged for him to stop.
The spikes only increased in their lethality however, moving so fast that it was now possible to see their movement, only it was in the form of a bloody tornado as their bodies were ripped apart to such a degree that not even their bones remained.
Once the last piece of the hostile Fishmen was reduced to a bloody paste, Natsu snapped his fingers, bringing an immediate halt to the spikes. Each and every last one was coated in fresh blood that dripped down onto the sight of the massacre.
Snapping his fingers again, the blood all around him began to flow toward the central fountain. It quickly pooled up, bubbling as he added the blood from the spikes into it before flicking them away, rendering them into dust.
"At least your blood will provide more use to the world than any of you did," came the amused response, the same gentle smile on his face.
There was no malice, no hatred or rage. He didn't even appear psychotic, despite having just slaughtered over forty Fishmen. He smiled as if he were enjoying the company of a dear friend, or partaking in a leisurely stroll.
The fountain pulsed as the excess blood spilt out, seeping into the coral around it, staining it dark red. Waving his left hand gently, more blood flew out of the fountain, coating more coral.
The more blood he splattered across it, the more vibrant the coral appeared to be as new life seemed to be breathed into it. With a final wave of his hand, the last of the blood was emptied from the fountain as the coral began to grow larger in size.
"This is your home. Defend it."
The coral naturally didn't respond verbally, as it was coral. However, the supersized coral shifted slightly, groaning as it grew large enough to bar the gates. The coral also began to discharge a strange mist as it sealed off the entrance.
Natsu didn't even bother observing it however as he casually ascended the stairs toward the palace. Hands in his pockets, a laid-back demeanour and the same smile on his face. Walking up to the front doors, he noticed they'd been forced open as well.
Strolling in, he was immediately met with another sizeable group of Fishmen. All of them had seen what he'd done in the courtyard, having heard the screams of their allies. All of them had their weapons drawn, yet not one dared to instigate the inevitable fight.
"Hello everyone," Natsu smiled cheerfully as the sizeable group tensed. "If anyone in this room is part of the Neptune Royal Guard, please come to my side-."
"We ain't handing you any of em," a Bull Shark Fishman snapped back. "They're the only insurance we have to stop you from killin us!"
"Really," Natsu asked curiously in response, eliciting a confused reaction from the Fishmen.
"The hell do you mean by that!?"
"Simple-."
Everyone in the room was shocked as he appeared behind the Fishman guarding the tied up Royal Guards, cutting them off from what they thought was their bargaining chip. To their shock however, he was still standing in his original place with the same smile for another five seconds before that version vanished.
"You don't have any hostages to barter with," Natsu smiled as he waved his hand.
The Royal Guards were surprised as their bonds came loose, though they were certainly not going to complain about it as they got to their feet.
"Sir," one of the older looking Fishman said as he stepped toward Natsu, eliciting a hum in response. "I am Lieutenant Vale. Are you the one who killed the men outside?"
"That would be me, yes. What of it, Lieutenant?"
"On behalf of the rest of the guard, you have full authority to kill as many as necessary in order to help us drive this scum out of the palace!"
"Fair enough. I was going to do so anyway, but having permission makes it better," came the calm response.
Still retaining the same gentle smile, his gaze slowly shifted back to the now horrified hostile force who had not expected a member of the Neptune Guard to authorize their deaths.
"Feel free to go on ahead then, Lieutenant. There are undoubtedly more of them elsewhere in the palace."
"Understood Sir," the Lieutenant nodded as he turned to his men. "Dragneel can handle them, let's join the others."
The other Guards nodded and quickly left up the entrance hall stairs. Some Fishmen tried to pursue them, however Natsu was already standing half way up the stairs waiting for them.
"Sorry guys, stairs are closed for maintenance."
"The hell are you talking about," one Fishman snapped. "They're perfectly fine-!"
A loud rumbling sound shocked everyone as they suddenly found the stairs beneath them collapsing. Some fell into the holes, trapped inside the stone of the stairs, but one managed to hang on at the edge of the hole.
"You know, it'd be rather cliché if I were to give a nice monologue before stepping on your fingers with my boot. So, instead I'm just gonna do this."
Walking past, the missing section of the stairs reformed itself whilst the Fishman was still holding on. As a result, his hand was squashed flat, fingers popping off as his scream was abruptly cut off as the stone was sealed off like it had never had a hole in it.
"What the fuck," the Bull Shark Fishman whispered as they all shakily held their weapons. "The hell even are you!?"
"Someone who isn't a racist," came the amused response before his gentle smile broke and he entered a pondering stance. "Or would that be speciesist … specist? Species Racist? Specirest-?"
The Bull Shark Fishman, growing tired of Natsu messing with them, roared as he began to charge toward him. Before he took two steps however, his eyes widened in shock as they turned to look off to his right.
In his peripheral vision, as his vision became blurry, he saw his own headless body collapse, as well as the mortified expressions of his allies. As his vision darkened, his eyes slowly moved to look at Natsu who was holding him by the top of his head.
He had been decapitated so expertly that it had taken his brain a full minute to even catch up as his eyes widened in shock before all signs of life left him. For his part, Natsu again adopted the calm smile as he surveyed the looks of terror on the faces around him.
"I have committed all of your faces to memory gentlemen. Keep that in mind as I give you this offer," Natsu said as the Fishmen all shook in fear. "You can either walk yourselves to jail right now and allow yourselves to be arrested? Or … I can kill you right now."
None of the Fishmen responded. They were all still terrified of this strange monstrous Human-like thing that was brutalizing them so effortlessly.
"I will be checking the prison later. If a single face I've committed to memory that chose the prison option is not in said prison … I will hunt you down. I will easily find you, no matter how far in this world you go, I will track you down and I will use you for experiments so abhorrent that you'll wish you were this guy."
Holding up the severed head of the Bull Shark Fishman, he still retained the same gentle smile even as he threatened their lives. Almost as one, they all shouted that they chose the prison option as they bolted down the stairs toward the palace dungeons.
Chuckling to himself, Natsu tossed the severed head on top of the body as he made his way upstairs. As he walked, he heard an all too familiar giggle and looked to his left to see a familiar face sitting on the upper balcony.
Wearing a pair of black cargo pants that stopped just above the knee, a black singlet and a pair of simple black and white running shoes, was none other than Eliza.
"Your fashion sense sucks."
"I was working out before I came here, in case you couldn't tell," Eliza responded playfully as she gestured to her sweaty body, her hair tied up into a ponytail.
"Hmm? Can't say that I can tell, actually," came the immediate counter as he reached her position on the railing before lifting up her arm and sniffing her armpit. "Oh yeah, hasn't washed in weeks. Classic Eliza."
"You're such a charming male specimen, aren't you. How do you know all the right things to say to a girl," came the dry response as she flicked his nose. "Sneeze and I break it."
"Noted," came the quick reply as he sneezed off to the side. "Your delectable BO aside, what's up?"
"I was going to ask you if you'd made progress on locating the Sea Titan like we discussed with the Council earlier, but when I arrived you were mopping up some mortals outside and so I decided to wait until you were free."
"I'm always free for you, boss lady."
"As you should be. Anyway, like I was saying, progress report?"
"Ah, yeah. Jokes aside, in the limited amount of time I've been here I spoke to Shyarly and she's setting up something to help me find where the Sea Titan is sealed."
"Anything else?"
"Like I said, I haven't been here for more than half a day so I've got nothing else," Natsu huffed as she narrowed her eyes.
"Don't huff at me, I was working out when Rodin asked me to come see you for a progress report!"
"Should have told him to suck a fat one," came the dry response as he rolled his eyes. "Did they really think I'd have found the Sea Titan moments upon arrival?"
"Why do you think I chose retirement?"
"You mean you chose being my personal liaison or whatever?"
"You would rather another from Equilibrius come speak with you on a frequent basis?"
"Pfft."
"What?"
"You're my first Eliza…"
"Stop-."
"You can't ever forget your first-."
"Stop-."
"-your first-time experience-."
"Stop."
"Why? Wasn't it special for you?"
"You're a real little deviant. And stupid."
"And you're tall and smelly."
"Now I know you're talking out your ass Natsu."
"Oh yeah?"
"You love the smell of sweat on a woman who trains, don't even try and deny it."
"Fair," Natsu sighed. "I can't counter that because you would counter with-."
"-the fact that you told myself and Kalmeet as much when we all got drunk," Eliza smirked. "Also, technically I'm not your first."
"Huh?"
"Technically, Ravus would be your first-."
"EWW! YUCK," Natsu grimaced as he scrunched up his face. "Don't even attempt to go down that route!"
"Well, it is technically true."
"Ravus is dead and gone and wasn't even in his original body. As far as I'm concerned, you're the first God I ever met face to face!"
"Fine, I suppose that's fair. Besides, we're getting off topic…"
"Right, right. I'm meant to be killing Fishmen or whatever," Natsu replied as he sat over the railing with Eliza. "Reckon you can tell them to stop pestering me about this Titan situation for a bit?"
"You just don't want me around, do you?"
"I want you around, just not about work."
Eliza smiled as the pair gently linked hands, the sound of combat and explosions upstairs little more than background noise to them. Both smiled softly as they gazed out the window upon the courtyard where Natsu massacred the first group of Fishmen.
"I'll see what I can do. I doubt Rodin was the one who wanted me to come check anyway, so he'll likely agree with you wanting to be left to handle this as you see fit."
"Remember that you can always tell them to go suck a fat one Eliza?"
"Perhaps if I were younger, I very well would have done such a thing," Eliza giggled.
Another explosion went off upstairs, this one shaking the entire palace, some debris landing on the floor below them, eliciting a sigh from Natsu.
"I should get back to it…"
"Hold on a moment."
"What?"
"One more thing," Eliza said as she held out her hand and a plate of freshly made spaghetti and meatballs appeared, complete with special seasoning.
"You make too much?"
"I forgot you weren't staying with me, so I made double accidentally…"
Natsu took the offered plate but met Eliza's gaze. He paused for a moment before smiling softly.
"I'll come see you after I'm done dealing with the Sea Titan. Promise."
"You better," came the equally gentle response before Eliza vanished, leaving him alone upon the balcony.
"Right then, I'm sure they'll be fine for another few minutes without me," Natsu said as a fork appeared in his right hand and he dug into his meal, completely ignoring another palace shaking explosion in the process.
/Fishman Island Restaurant District – Same Time/
"Hell yeah! Down another one Mordred! WOO!"
Mordred easily downed another large tankard of mead, slamming it onto their table with a smirk just as Drake did the same. Both Servants laughed before looking over at Usopp who was drinking his at a casual pace.
"C'mon Usopp! Drink up!"
"I'm not a Servant like you guys, I can't drink heavy alcohol without getting drunk."
"Ah, who cares about that!?"
"I do. I'd get drunk on the Sunny where I know everyone and it'd be safer, not here."
"Y'know what," Drake sighed as she refilled her mug. "Fair enough. I respect your commitment Soup."
"Soup?"
"Don't worry about it. Anyway, what were we talking about again," Drake laughed as she started drinking from her latest mug. "Ah, right. You lot just finished tellin me about the Arlong Pirates from the East Blue. Well, bout time you two caught up on current events then."
"Like how Arlong is here and a Lieutenant in the New Fishman Pirates," Usopp asked in reply, getting a cheery nod in response.
"Right! To start, ya need to know a few things about the New Fishman Pirates. I doubt Mordy here knows since she was training with Arthuria for two years, but the New Fishman Pirates are actually on Eden's radar."
"Wait, seriously," Mordred asked in genuine surprise. "Those weaklings?"
"Ahahah! Ya say that. But there's a bit of a snag when it comes to dealin with Fishmen, Mordy."
"Like how they're ten times stronger than regular Humans, even on land?"
"Right ya are Usopp! There's that, plus the fact that in water they'd fucking shred a regular Human in seconds. Even a scrub Fishman can kill a Navy Lieutenant in seconds."
"And that gets this Fishman crew on Eden's radar?"
"Hah! If it were simply that, they wouldn't even be a blip Mordy! No. Unfortunately, these guys are actual trouble, and not just to us. World Government is even having issues with em. They're considered a potential global threat."
"What!? No way!?"
"Yes way Mordy. A single scrub Fishman can wreck a Navy Lieutenant in water, right? Well, word is that the New Fishman Pirates have the largest crew in the world."
"How big are we talking here," Mordred asked as she began to realize what Drake was getting at. "A thousand? Two?"
"Higher."
"Five thousand?"
"Higher."
"You're joking Drake… Ten Thousand?"
"Higher," Drake said again, no longer smiling as Mordred's jaw dropped.
"Are you seriously telling me that the New Fishman Pirates have over ten thousand Fishmen in their crew?"
"Add a zero to that number Mordy."
Mordred was stunned, completely unable to speak as Usopp went as white as a sheet. The idea of a crew being several thousand was already massive as it was. But a Pirate crew with a larger count than some countries in this world was utterly insane.
"Ya can understand why Eden is a bit concerned now, huh?"
"Considering what Fishmen can do in just small groups when at sea, yeah," Usopp replied slowly. "Just three can create whirlpools that can sink a Marine battleship. But a hundred thousand …"
"Ya wanna know the craziest bit though? It gets worse, if ya can believe it or not?"
"What…?"
"Up until two years ago, the New Fishman Pirates were led by a Great White Shark Fishman by the name of Hody Jones. Real nasty piece of work he is. But, one day outta the blue, Hody drops back to Vice Captain."
"Someone succeeded him as Captain?"
"Oh yeah. Probably the worst possible thing happened in a cruel twist of fate for the people here," Drake sighed. "A Servant rolls up outta nowhere and takes command in less than a day."
"A Servant!?"
"Oh yeah. This one showed up and completely changed the game. See, before that, Hody would attack Navy ships and stuff, but it'd be hit and run type shit," Drake explained as the pair listened attentively. "But this Servant … he's a professional at Naval Warfare. Within six months he's got em sinking entire fleets, slaughtering coastal towns of Humans and they've even enslaved dozens of World Government forces and other Pirate crews."
"Holy shit…"
"Yeah. Worst part is, no one can really do much to stop him either."
"Why not?"
"Bastard's basically immortal at sea," Drake replied grimly. "Can't even tell ya how many have died tryin to kill him."
"I think I may want to let Natsu know about this Servant," Mordred replied with Drake nodding instantly.
"Oh yeah. Honestly, if Natsu can take that fucker down then he'd be doing us all a damn good favour," Drake agreed. "I'm itchin to meet up with him anyway. Keen to see the man, the myth, the legend in his early years for myself!"
"Well, if you stick with us, you'll undoubtedly see him," Mordred replied with a grin. "Not sure where in Fishman Island he is now, but he's undoubtedly gonna be expecting Seilah and I to have a meetup with him later. I'll bring you along."
"Awesome! Thanks Mordy!"
"So, in the meantime, how about we get a good pub meal into us?"
"I'm likin the sound of that," Drake grinned as she drank down her mug and slammed it onto the table once again. "OI! SOME SERVICE OVER HERE!"
Mordred shook her head at her friend's boisterous antics. Internally however, she was pondering this extremely dangerous situation they'd walked into. A crew of around a hundred thousand Fishmen, led by a powerful Servant. And, all of them hate the Straw Hat Pirates because of what they did to the Arlong Pirates back in the East Blue.
Steps would have to be taken to make sure nothing bad befell the crew. Strong they may now be as individuals. But numbers in the six-figure range could overwhelm almost anyone aside from Natsu, Seilah and herself.
Indeed. Once the fun was over, there would be a very long meeting. Mordred was certain of that. One way or another, they were not leaving until the New Fishman Pirates were dealt with.
/Fishman Island Ryugu Palace – Same Time/
A long, bloody trail of corpses littered the hallways of the Ryugu Palace. Their bodies were almost entirely unrecognizable with some having been reduced to little but blood splatter across the area.
Retaining that gentle smile as he strolled on through, the Fishmen tried to attack him to impede his path toward King Neptune's position. A sword came down to slash at his exposed back, only to shatter into fragments.
Before they even had the time to react to it however, the fragments shot off in several directions, slashing through several Fishmen and decapitating the one who'd initially tried to slash him. All the while, Natsu continued walking toward the doors at the end of the corridor. As he pushed them open, the last Fishmen keeled over, dead.
Almost immediately, he had a trident in his face. However, unlike the others who had attacked him previously, there was something different about the one threatening him now.
"Stop right there! In the name of the Ryugu Kingdom, I-!"
The massive Fishman paused, noticing the absolute massacre behind Natsu before looking down at him again. For his part, Natsu retained that same gentle smile.
"You wouldn't happen to be Natsu Dragneel, would you?"
"That I am."
The Fishman immediately relaxed and lowered his trident, sighing audibly as it now hung loosely at his side.
"My apologies for threatening you. I had assumed the New Fishman Pirates were trying to barge in again."
"It's fine. I've taken out around two hundred or so from the palace gates to here, with another forty or so down in your dungeon."
"Truly? That would be most of the invading force then. Ah, my apologies. This situation has sullied my manners. I am Crown Prince Fukaboshi of the Neptune Royal Family."
Next In Line For The Throne
First Son Of The King
Commander Of The Neptune Royal Guard
Crown Prince Of The Ryugu Kingdom
Fukaboshi
"Well, you already know my name. But, nice to meet you, Prince Fukaboshi. I can see now why you couldn't come see me at Shyarly's. Is this some kind of coup against the Royal Family?"
Fukaboshi's gaze hardened slightly as he shook his head. He then motioned for Natsu to follow him as they moved further into the room.
"Unfortunately, this attack has completely caught us off guard. We knew that the New Fishman Pirates had issues with us, but that isn't why they chose to attack. Unfortunately, only my Father can give you the details on that."
"King Neptune?"
"Yeah. He's just up ahead with the Ministers and my two younger Brothers as we try and figure out our next move."
"Well, you said I dealt with most of them, right? Logically speaking, wouldn't the next move be to mop up any stragglers?"
"Well yes, but that isn't what I'm referring to when I speak of our next move."
"I take it that this attack had an ulterior motive then? They came here for a specific reason?"
"Two, actually. But like I said, only my Father may speak to you of them as they are considered secrets of the crown," Fukaboshi replied as they entered the back room.
Upon entering, Natsu was surprised to see a massive Fishman at the back of the room. Fukaboshi himself was already taller than Natsu's abnormal height at nineteen feet tall. But the one at the back with the crown on his head was as tall as a giant at forty feet tall.
Upon entering, the others noticed Natsu with the massive King immediately making his way toward him. The King has a massive, bushy, ginger coloured beard and had matching long ginger coloured hair. He wore no kind of shirt, exposing his extremely muscular upper body, along with several interesting tattoos on his arms that looked like different kinds of conditions the sea was susceptible to.
The King struck an extremely intimidating figure, his smaller eyes only adding to it as it looked like he was judging you carefully at all times. Once he was before Natsu, he crossed his arms and sighed, clearing his throat before speaking.
"It is an honour to finally make your acquaintance, Lord High Arbiter Natsu-jamon."
For the first time since arriving back in this world, Natsu's laid back, casual façade broke as his eyebrows rose considerably at what the King had just said.
"You know of my true title?"
"Indeed."
"Then, with all due respect, I'll be needing you to explain yourself, King Neptune," Natsu replied as the two stared each other down.
King Of The Ryugu Kingdom
Knight Of The Seas
Leader Of All Fishmen
Neptune
"I understand. After all, throwing out a title regarding the higher realms despite not being associated with them can appear highly suspicious-jamon."
"I take it you planned on explaining this anyway before all of this happened," Natsu asked as the King sighed and nodded again.
"It would have actually made things a lot easier to explain had this incident not occurred-jamon. For you see, the New Fishman Pirates have stolen two very important things from the palace in their raid-jamon."
"One being the Tamatebako Box stored in the Royal Treasury," a familiar voice snarled as Natsu looked over to see an older looking Seahorse Fishman approaching. "That fool has no idea what he's getting into taking that box!"
"Settle down Minister," Neptune sighed. "As the Minister of the Left said, one item stolen was the Tamatebako Box. Within it are the last remnants of a highly addictive drug I banned over fifty years ago, known as Energy Steroids-jamon."
"Let me guess," Natsu replied with narrowed eyes. "They provide a drastic increase in combat ability but have potentially lethal drawbacks?"
"I'm not surprised you'd understand just by name alone-jamon."
"You would be surprised how common stuff like that is, King Neptune. Still, why did you keep something like that around at all? Why not destroy them?"
"I'll answer that," the Minister of the Left replied. "Our scientists sometimes take one pill out of the box and experiment with it. The goal is to better understand how to combat the side effects of such a drug because, like you said yourself, such drugs are common."
"I suppose that's fair enough," Natsu agreed before looking back over at Neptune. "And what was this other thing that was stolen?"
"Yes, this is the real item of importance that was stolen-jamon. It is a long story, so for now I shall give you a summarized version of it-jamon."
"That's fine."
"Around twenty years ago, some of the first Servants began appearing throughout the world-jamon. Initially, we never paid it any mind, as our Kingdom is often far removed from the goings on of the surface-jamon. That was, until my Wife, Queen Otohime, managed to summon a Servant of her own one night-jamon."
"Your Wife summoned a Servant," Natsu asked curiously. "Based on the way you mentioned her, I take it she's …"
"Dead," Neptune replied sadly. "But that isn't really related to what I'm telling you about-jamon."
"Oh. Well, my condolences for the loss of your Wife, King Neptune."
"Thank you. Not many Humans would say such a thing to a Fishman-jamon," Neptune replied with a small smile. "Once the palace has been secured, I can tell you more about her if you are interested-jamon?"
"Of course. I'd be honoured if you'd tell me more about her, King Neptune."
The King seemed genuinely surprised at the sincere response he got from Natsu, seemingly perking right up from his serious state. Prince Fukaboshi likewise was surprised, and also gained a cheerier demeanour about him.
"Very good-jamon! But first, let me finish informing you about my Wife's Servant-jamon. The item that was stolen from the palace was his weapon, a Trident, imbued with the power of the Gods-jamon."
"I see. I assume he gifted it to Queen Otohime before he was sent back to the Throne?"
"Yes. However, he was not destroyed by an enemy, but rather he used up every last drop of his power to seal away a great threat to not just our Kingdom, but the entire world-jamon."
"Really? What kind of threat was it?"
"He called it a Sea Titan. A being of such power that it could flood the world and destroy all life in a day if it chose to do so-jamon."
"This Servant was a God, wasn't he," Natsu asked with King Neptune nodding slowly in response. "What was his name?"
"He was a Lancer Class Servant-jamon. And his name … was Poseidon, God of the Sea."
"What did he just say," Ahnk gasped inside their shared mindscape. "Did he really just say his Wife summoned LORD POSEIDON AS A FUCKING SERVANT!?"
"Is he really that big of a deal?"
"Natsu. Lord Poseidon was one of the Gods from the original founding pantheons," Ahnk replied seriously. "He is one of the stronger ones too, one of the Brothers of the legendary Lord Zeus of Greek mythology! Even as a Servant, he'd have to be tremendously powerful!"
"I assume that Poseidon used his Authority as God of the Sea to somehow seal away the Sea Titan, right?"
"That is correct-jamon. He used up every last drop of his God's Aura to seal the Sea Titan away, claiming that only the power of a God could release it from its prison-jamon."
"And let me take a wild guess that his Trident allows the wielder to use God's Aura?"
"That is how I knew of you-jamon. My Wife used to possess the Trident until she died, then I wielded it for the next twenty years in order to keep my people safe-jamon."
"Now it makes sense why they attacked at night, doesn't it? You would have been asleep, unable to use it against them. They made off with it, along with other precious items, knowing that you couldn't stop them."
"That is the most probable theory-jamon. However, we fear what will happen if the Trident ends up in the hands of the Captain of the New Fishman Pirates."
"Who is he? Is he a Fishman from around here, or a Fishman from outside your Kingdom?"
"The former Captain was a Great White Shark Fishman by the name of Hody Jones," Fukaboshi chimed in. "My Guards had been going after him for months. But it's hard to scour every last square inch of the black depths."
"And I take it this Hody guy, as troublesome as he was, isn't in charge anymore?"
"He's become Vice Captain as another, far more dangerous threat took command of the New Fishman Pirates," Fukaboshi replied as he looked toward his Father to continue.
"The new Captain is ruthless-jamon. Even the World Government are having issues with him as he rips apart entire fleets by himself-jamon."
"Wait, by himself," Natsu asked as they clarified his response with curt nods.
"We fear that if he gets his hands on the Trident of Poseidon, he will unleash the Sea Titan upon the world," Fukaboshi replied through grit teeth. "He was already far more powerful than any of us could handle! But with that Trident, he'll be utterly unstoppable!"
"He's that strong even without the Trident?"
"He's a Servant," Fukaboshi replied quickly. "You of all people should understand how Servants complicate matters."
"Another Servant, and this one is hostile," Natsu hummed as he pondered the situation. "How large is his crew?"
"Around one hundred thousand Fishmen," Fukaboshi replied, bringing Natsu's brain to a screeching halt.
"What?"
"This is accurate information-jamon."
"Source?"
"The Servant State provided it to us free of charge," Fukaboshi answered as he handed Natsu a report with the seal of their Intelligence Core on it.
"Plus, another twenty thousand Human slaves," Natsu muttered in shock. "This isn't just a Pirate Crew … this is an army!?"
"Why do you think I wasn't bothered with how many of them you killed on your way up here," Fukaboshi replied bluntly. "It literally is inconsequential to them to lose even a hundred Fishmen."
"Alright. Something has to be done about this, and quickly," Natsu said firmly as he snapped his fingers and made a copy of the report and banished it to his Requip Space. "That chat will have to wait until after this situation is resolves King Neptune. But we will have it, I promise."
"I understand Natsu-jamon. Does this mean we can count on your support in getting the Trident back and putting a stop to the New Fishman Pirates-jamon?"
"You have my support, as well as that of my Servant and my Assistant Seilah. I can't speak for the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates however as I'm not the Captain, Luffy is. Though, if you ask him for help, I'm sure he'll help out."
Neptune seemed satisfied with the response as everyone around them moved frantically to prepare for the upcoming events that were going to undoubtedly shake Fishman Island to its core.
"Alright. After I'm done here, I have to go see Madame Shyarly again. But, do any of you know where I can find Jimbei?"
"Jimbei? You know him," Fukaboshi asked in surprise."
"Oh yeah, we're friends. He told me to look him up if I ever got to Fishman Island. But it seems now I'll be looking for his help in dealing with this mess."
"Jimbei would be a good asset to help deal with the New Fishman Pirates-jamon. Fukaboshi. Have the Guards seek out Jimbei and let him know to meet Natsu at Shyarly's as soon as possible-jamon!"
"Right away Father!"
"And as for you, Natsu Dragneel. If you succeed in putting a stop to the New Fishman Pirates and return the Trident to us, you'll be owed a massive debt by all of Fishman Island."
"We can talk about all that later, King Neptune," Natsu replied as he nodded in the massive Fishman's direction. "For now, we have work to do. Send all relevant information to Shyarly, I'll work out of her place."
And then, just like that, he was gone.
"He was everything Poseidon told us and more, wasn't he," the Minister of the Left said in awe as Natsu vanished. "I truly hope he can help us-jamon…"
"We must have faith Minister. This is a good chance for Humans to earn some goodwill with my people, just like what Otohime wanted…"
"We shouldn't use this situation in such a way, Father," Fukaboshi replied, earning a slow shake of the head from the larger Fishman in response.
"You misunderstand my words, Fukaboshi-jamon. It will be a byproduct of their aid toward us that will in turn foster better relations. After all, hatred between Fishmen and surface dwellers is what led us into this exact situation …"
Everyone nodded silently in agreement as they all turned to look out at the city below, lit brightly beneath the black depths of the sea.
They could only hope that it would all still be there by the end of tomorrow.
Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!